In The Middle of Nowhere
by Windesque
Summary: Shikamaru is forced into holding a party for everyone by his father. The only problem is that they'll be in the middle of nowhere, with no adults accompanying them. Disaster is predicted. Shino/Hinata, Neji/Ten, Kiba/Ino, Shika/Tem.
1. A Field of Flowers

**Yeah, this is mainly a Shino/Hinata thing. 'Cause they be cool. There'll be some Neji/Ten as well as a few others. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own Naruto. That's why I'm putting it on Fanfiction. Common sense, people, common sense.**

Hinata sat on the rock, her eyes closed as she reviewed the past hour in her head.

_-Flashback-_

"_Hinata! If you do not learn that technique in one week, and one week only, then you shall regret it. Now, out!" Hiashi's voice bore through her mind, as he pointed at the door. Hinata had stood up, bowing, and then turned and walked out as fast as she could._

_Her feet walked by themselves, treading a well worn path to a field nearby. Somewhere where she could cry in peace._

_-End of flashback-_

Now she was seated on a lonely rock. There was a single rock, quite flat, and was easy to sit on. It was beautiful. And nobody else went to it. It was hers.

All of it hers.

She closed her eyes, and felt the tears welling up. They rolled down her cheek slowly. She had to make him proud. He was her father. She was a Hyuuga. She was supposed to be the best. She was practically royalty within Konoha. She had to act like it, not weak.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

He watched her. Sitting on the rock in the middle of the quiet field, a place that could only be described as 'picturesque'. Long grass, flowers everywhere. The kind of place that lovers went to for their picnics. Not that there were any lovers in this field, he thought with a feeling he couldn't quite determine yet. She was hunched up on the rock, arms around her soldiers, and crying silently. _Probably her family again…_he thought. One day, he would do something to them.

A moth fluttered past her and then around her. She watched it, tears still streaming, and lifted her finger to it. It landed on her finger, fluttered it's wings twice, but stayed. Hinata lifted it closer to her, and smiled at it, through her tears. It was a silvery one, and Shino's favourite.

"Hello. Are you one of Shino's?" she whispered to it.

On an impulse, he went to stand behind her. "Yes," he said, softly, so as not to frighten her.

She jumped around, and looked up into his glasses. _She is…very pretty_. He half-froze, wondering where that thought had come from. Surely, it couldn't be his. She quickly wiped her tears away, and smiled at him. "S-Shino-kun."

He didn't say anything for a while, then sat next to her. "Hinata? Why are you crying?" he asked. His voice was as flat as ever, and he kept a reasonable distance away from her.

_That is Shino_, she thought with a wry smile. _The only one to keep a far distance away from girls. Even his friends. _She wished that just once, he would be more…open. Friendly."I-I'm n-not crying."

"You are," he stated again, eyebrows raising. There was something…in his stomach. Something that was making it twist and churn. Nervousness? No. It was something else. Something…he couldn't quite determine it, but it was there. "Hinata? You can tell me."

She shook her head, looking down at the ground. "N-no. T-thank you, Sh-hino," she hiccupped. He leant closer to her, and patted her back gently.

"Hinata," he said, half-warning, half caring. "Tell me." She turned her eyes to him, shivering slightly. "Please," he added, in a half-whisper.

"I-it's just f-father. You sh-shouldn't trouble yourself with it. I-it would only be a b-burden," she said softly, not looking at him, but more at the hand on her shoulder.

He wanted to do something. Hug her. Tell her something. Anything. So long as she wasn't upset in this way, he would do anything and just about everything for her. "You're not a burden. You are a…friend. And you know that."

"Hey! Shino! Hinata! What are you guys doing here?" a loud voice was heard. They spun around, Shino's hand quickly returning to his original position. They looked on at the knuckleheaded blonde, and the dog nin, who was currently grinning at them with a twinkle in his eyes.

"H-hi, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered straight away, turning red.

Shino resisted an urge to roll his eyes. Naruto. For her, it would always be about Naruto, and nobody else. That was one fact that he would have to live with, no matter how much he may hate that. He allowed himself to scowl, knowing full well that nobody would be able to tell. Naruto was too…dumb. Hinata was infatuated with the presence of the blonde. Kiba might realise, but he didn't hold out much hope. He glanced at him, and was met with Kiba's usual grin and a wink. He looked away. That couldn't be good.

"Anyway, I was here 'cause I promised to help Shikamaru, him being the lazy twit that he was, couldn't be bothered to do this. Anyway, Shika's dad, along with Ino, forced him to have a big party. It's going to be in this large place that Shika's dad owns in the middle of nowhere, up north. And Shika couldn't be bothered to deliver all of these, so I offered to do it," Kiba grinned.

"_You _offered to deliver?" Shino's voice managed to convey the incredulity he felt as he stared at his team mate. _Kiba _of all people had offered.

"Like, yeah! I mean, come on! All of the girls promised to go, so it should be fun, eh, Naruto?" Kiba grinned, winking and nudging Naruto, who nodded fervently.

"Idiot," Shino muttered, watching Hinata's face turning red. "Yes, I will come. Hinata?"

"I-i-…" she paused, glancing at Kiba, who was staring at her with wide eyes, and Akamaru, who was lying on his back, practically begging to be tickled. "Y-yes," she smiled, tickling him.

"Oh, yeah!" Kiba grinned, punching the air with delight. "Now, we've just got a few hundred more to go! Bye, Beautiful," he winked at Hinata, who went red, and grinned at Shino. "Later, freaky."

With that, Kiba, Naruto and Akamaru ran off.

Shino half-closed his eyes._ What have we let ourselves in for?_ he groaned mentally. He stood up. "I have to go. Goodbye, Hinata."

"Goodbye, Shino-kun," she said, her eyes fixed on where Naruto was last.

Shino sighed. There were some battles that could only be won by one person. And this seemed like one of them. A battle of love.

**Firstly, I don't think Hiashi is all that cruel, he's just cold. I'm a major Hyuuga fan, and I refuse to think badly of him :p Seriously. But, in the interest of better writing, I have to put it that way.  
Secondly, Kiba and Shino are friends, so when Kiba calls Shino freaky, it's friendly.  
Thirdly, thank you for reading :) I appreciate it.**

**I'm not going to press you to review. But it would be nice :) And I welcome flames. I like fire :)**


	2. Annoying the Aburame

**A/N: Second chapter. Yays :) Although, it's pretty short and crummy, so yeah. *shrug*. I do plan on getting to the actual cabiny thing in the next chapter, but I couldn't miss a chance to see Kiba and Shino chatting. So, sorry if you were expecting better :)**

**Disclaimer: I _wish_ I owned Naruto. Unfortunately, all I own is my DVDs.**

Shino closed his eyes as he lay in bed. His thoughts had been twisting around in his mind for the past half an hour and they were all about a certain shy Hyuuga. He wasn't too sure what he was feeling at the moment, but whatever it was, he didn't like it. She was his team mate and friend…and nothing more than that. Liking her would only complicate matters. He couldn't.

There was a rattling at his window. He stood up, grabbing his glasses from the bedside cabinet, and pushing them on. He opened the window, and looked out, and frowned at a grinning Kiba. "What?" he said in sharp voice, as he stared at him. (*)

Kiba grinned and pushed the door open, then jumped in, followed by Akamaru. "Well, well, well, Aburame. I didn't know that _you _have been attacked by hormones just yet. You never told me!" he whined as he half-glared at Shino.

Shino blinked once as he stared at Kiba. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I believe that you are mistaken in whatever you have reasoned out with that mind of yours," he said calmly, his face not showing a hint of feeling.

Kiba snorted, as Akamaru yapped. "Get real, Shino. I mean, seriously? You expect me to believe _that? _Come up with a better excuse. You, my dear friend, have a crush!"

"I disagree with you," Shino lied. "And do you need something? I would _like _to go back to sleep."

"Dude, you've got to be joking? Both you and I know that you like Hinata. It's in your eyes!"

"Whilst I wear glasses?" Shino asked, attempting to straw away from the topic that Kiba was so desperate to pursue.

"Whatever. But you like her. Seriously, be honest. You do, and you can't lie to me Shino. We've been friends since…forever. That time when I smuggled Akamaru and you smuggled your bugs into school on the first day? And when Iruka–sensei tried to get them, and we had to hide them in the closet, and then we gave them to Naruto to hide, 'cause we trusted him? And he hid them under Iruka-sensei's desk, and Iruka didn't find them, but we still beat Naruto up for it? You were my best mate from that day, man, and you know it. Sure, you were really stiff when it came to sneaking out, and come on? Naruto and me would have done it anyway, but Chouji _hates _being stopped from eating to do non-important stuff, and he jumped out of the window, and even _Shikamaru_ did. Seriously, come on. We were best mates since we were titchy. _Plus_ it helps that I practically live right next to you," Kiba rambled on.

Shino rolled his eyes. "Please. Leave." He stressed each word as he stared at him.

"Shino…just admit it. You do like Hinata. What's so bad about it? She is cute, she's shy, she's quiet like you, she's got a nice body. I would like her too, if she wasn't such a close friend. Just. Bloody. Tell. Me," he glared at him, each word punctuated with a bark from Akamaru.

"I do. Now go," Shino hissed, knowing full well that his father had been aware of Kiba's presence from the beginning. And the barking would make him come down.

Kiba grinned, and jumped out of the window. "I told you so," he grinned, running off, clutching a still barking Akamaru to his chest.

Shino took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. He had told Kiba. Kiba would probably confide in…Shikamaru or Chouji. They would be forced into telling Ino once the blonde realised that they were keeping a secret. And once Ino found out…

He sighed, and rolled into bed. That could wait until morning.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

It had been decided by Ino, that everyone would come in with their team. This had been unanimously agreed by everyone, mainly to stay on Ino's good side.

Shino stood, watching Kiba chasing Akamaru. They had been waiting for Hinata, who was never late, for a few minutes now.

"Seriously! When is she going to get here?" Kiba whined, glaring at Shino as though it was his fault. Shino rolled his eyes, but, because of his glasses, Kiba couldn't tell. "Anyway...last night...so you _do _like our pretty little Hinata-chan."

"Another word from you, Kiba, and I swear that I shall give Akamaru fleas. And you as well," Shino stated, glaring at Kiba. Kiba merely grinned, knowing that Shino would never try that and stuck his tounge out at the Aburame.

"Kiba-kun! Shino-kun!" came a voice from behind them. The Hyuuga heiress was running, and behind them were Neji, Tenten and Lee. " Father wished for Neji to go with me, so Tenten-chan and Lee-kun are coming with us as well. I-I hope you don't m-mind."

"'Course not, Hinata-chan!" Kiba grinned, giving a slightly cold glance at Neji. Although the two had become well-acquainted with each other, and had even managed to become slightly awkward friends, Kiba still had a grudge against the prodigy for hurting Hinata during the Chuunin exams.

"Can we go now?" Lee asked, pumping a fist in the air. "We can't be late for this youthful party!"

Tenten rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Yeah, we can't. Let's go."

And with that, the two teams jumped off.

*** Shino has a bottom floor bedroom.  
And finished.**

**I'm not going to push you to read and review...but it would be nice, yeah?**


	3. Organisation by Ino

_OK...I think that Kankuro might be a tad on the OOC side, but hopefully not by much. Fingers crossed._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters mentione. Unfortunately.**

~O~O~O~  
"Shikamaru! You never mentioned anything about sharing!" Naruto turned, glaring at the lazy ninja.

"What were you expecting?" Shikamaru asked, opening one eye and glancing up from where he was sitting, leaning against the wall. "A mansion?"

"I don't know…a little mention? Oh, by the way, you're all going to have to _share_ at this super awesome party with massive potential?" Sakura asked, rolling her eyes.

"Massive potential?" Neji muttered to Tenten beside him. "The most potential this place has is the peace from Gai-sensei."

Shikamaru opened an eye at that, and closed it again. _I didn't want to invite half of these people…and yet stupid Ino._ He glared over at her, whilst she smiled at him sweetly.

They had all reached the cabin at around the same time. The cabin had seven rooms, and one large living room, which was divided by a curtain. There were two bathrooms, and only one kitchen. Trouble was imminent.

_CRASH!_

A loud noise was heard from the kitchen and what seemed to be scuffling. Most of the shinobi assumed a fighting stance straight away, and slowly edged towards the kitchen.

"I _told _you. I _specifically _told you. I _said _that we should just knock on the door like every other normal person, but _no_. You had to make us come through the _window_. I mean, _really_?" came a voice that they all recognised well. It was hard, however to put a person to the voice.

"What_ever_," snapped another voice, this time female. "Plus, it was more fun this way. Right, Gaara?"

It was the sand siblings. There was nobody else that it could be. They mostly relaxed, apart from Sasuke, Neji and Shino, who had personally never trusted the team from Suna as far as he could throw them. Kiba rolled his eyes, and dug him in the ribs, stepping forwards. Out of all of the Konoha twelve, Kiba had gained the closest friendship with the shinobi from the sand village.

"Yo," Kiba drawled, entering the kitchen, and grinning at the siblings. He punched Kankuro's shoulder in a friendly way.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto half-asked, half-yelled in surprise.

Kankuro pointed at Temari. "_She_ made us."

Temari pointed at Shikamaru. "_He_ asked."

Shikamaru shrugged. "It was Ino…troublesome woman," he added in a mutter.

"Whatever," Ino grinned, shaking off the insult that had become a pet name. "Yes, I have made Shika invite them all. I mean, it's not a proper party without everybody. Plus, I needed Kankouro."

There was a slight pause as everyone turned to ogle her. The beauty that had seemed resistant to every male's attractions at some point had taken the group by surprise. Sure, she acted like she was a…unashamed hussy, but had never actually shown herself liking anyone other than Sasuke, whom she had gotten over. And Kankouro…they all glanced at him once, and looked anywhere but at the two.

Ino folded her arms and pouted. "Not in the way you're thinking. No way do I like Kankouro. Nu-uh," she denied.

Kankuro raised his arms as though to hug her, and took a step closer. "Baby…how could you _do _this to me?"

Ino stepped back, and stuck her tongue out at him, stepping swiftly behind Kiba. "I have a dog."

"Ba-by…" Kankuro whined, glaring at Kiba as though it was his fault. Kiba shrugged, but Shino caught the satisfied glint in his eyes.

_At least he's getting what he wanted, _he thought with a scowl, his lower face hidden by the collar of his jacket. He glanced over at where Hinata was standing, on the outskirts of the group, her fingers tapping together and a slight smile on her lips. He frowned as he watched her. What was so funny? he wondered.

He walked nearer the wall, and skirted around it, standing behind Hinata. Her hair was an unusual shade. Not blue, not black and not purple. It was unique. No, _she _was unique. "Hinata? What's so funny?" he half-whispered in her ear.

She jumped and turned around, smiling. "N-nothing. I-it's just…Kiba-kun looks so p-pleased with himself. It's like when Akamaru g-gets the riceballs after he b-begs," she stifled a giggle.

Shino raised an eyebrow at that. Yes, Kiba was indeed very pleased with himself. Hinata was happy that Kiba was happy. And he was the only member of Team 8 that wasn't happy.

"OK, whatever. Kankuro, don't touch me," Ino laughed, pushing him away. "Anyway, because we're all sharing, I took the liberty of arranging it all, so we won't have any arguing, yeah? And, I wanted to separate you all from your closest friends, so, here we go.

"Naruto and Gaara. Because you're both…distinctive…in a way," she gave a nervous giggle at that, and shrugged. It was obvious to everyone that she meant that they both had demons within them, without offending them. "You two can share. Problems? Naruto? Gaara?"

Naruto shook his head with a grin. "I'm alright, 'ttebayo. Though I'd have preferred Sakura-chan."

Ino rolled her eyes. "She's a _girl_, Naruto. An ugly one, but a girl, nonetheless. Anyway, you have no problems. G-gaara?"

The fear in her voice was evident. Although Gaara seemed to have changed for the better, Ino was still set in her ways and still slightly terrified of him. Gaara caught the tone in her voice, and looked down. "No," he said flatly.

"Good," she grinned, all worry gone now that he hadn't put up a fight. "So, Shika and Chouji will be sharing," she flashed a grin at her team mates. She was plotting something, Chouji decided. She had to be. "Since you guys are _such _close friends and everything. I'm sure you wouldn't _mind_." She smiled sweetly, and Chouji sighed in relief. That was all?

"Erm…lessee…Puppet boy and the mutt. Heel boy, heel. Whoops…sorry. I meant, heel _boys, _heel," she grinned, pointing first at Akamaru and then at Kiba who rolled his eyes. "Tenten and Billboard Brow. I'm so sorry," she added, looking up at Tenten. "But, I had to talk to Hinata about _stuff_," she stared pointedly at her, making the Hyuuga blush in nervousness. "And I figured Temari would want to be in the room next to Shikamaru. You know…for _reasons,_" she grinned at the two.

"She's troublesome. Almost as troublesome as you are," Shikamaru scowled, a light blush covering his cheeks.

Ino smiled, but didn't say anything else, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Lee and Sasuke. Good luck, Lee, old boy. Good luck. He's not very…youthful, ya know? And Shino and Neji. Simply 'cause you two are so damn quiet, I'm sure you'll find comfort in the silence."

There was silence for a while as everyone stared at Ino. She seemed mightily pleased with herself for some reason, and that was worrying them. Ino had the looks of a beauty queen, and the mind of none other than every ninja's worst dreams…Ibiki. If Ino was this happy, someone within a ten mile radius would become very unhappy, very soon. Ino scared them all in certain moods, no matter how much they attempted to hide it.

"Now. Since we're all so nice and comfortable, I thought we could play a little game…you know, just to start this thing off. Just a little one. Truth or dare. Shino-kun," she grinned sweetly, turning to him. "You're up first."

Shino's blood ran cold. He knew what she would do. He was first. And the way that she was glancing at Hinata casually didn't bode well.

**~O~O~O~**

_Done. I have to say that I love Ino. She's my second favourite female character, and...I'd say fourth character in general. And I see her as an aspiring Ibiki wannabe. Don't ask why.  
If Ibiki ever retired, I would totally say either Ino or Shino should become the next torturer._

**Reviews?**


	4. Shino's Choice

_A/N: OK...this chapter is short. Very very very short. I think it should be called more of a drabble than a chapter. I apologise, but I wanted to get the right...I dunno, effect? So, simply, I have a reason. So....yeah. I apologise, but I hope that I have a good enough reason._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters mentioned in here. They belong simply to Masashi Kishimato.**

**  
~O~O~  
**Ino grinned as she watched Shino's face losing the little colour that it had before. "Oh, someone's not looking keen on that idea. Brave people that have nothing to hide have nothing to fear from Truth or Dare."

_Not the way you're going to play it, _he thought instantly. "I have no wish to play. Please excuse me from this game," he said as politely as he could.

The change in Ino's expression startled most of the shinobi there. One minute it was calm, smiling and generally happy, and, within a heartbeat, it was furious. "You. Are. Going. To. Play. Whether or not you want to. Now, since you're first, I'm going to tell you what you will have if you choose truth, and what you will have if you choose dare. The truth will be…which, of these girls, do you like as in…more than a friend?" The question was accompanied by silence as they all watched the Aburame. And…the dare will be…to kiss Hinata."

Hinata's face turned a shade of red that most hadn't seen before, and Shino, for once, lost his usual calmness, although none present realised, because of his glasses and his high collar. "Ino…please…I really have no wish to play this."

"Ah, c'mon, Shino. Stop being so utterly _boring_!" Naruto said, rolling his eyes at the bug ninja. "Don't you think?"

"I…I…Shino looked from Naruto, to Ino who was smiling pleasantly, yet could crack at any moment, Hinata who was still blushing profusely, from behind Neji, and Kiba, who was grinning at the expense of his best friend. "I…choose truth."

Ino shared a knowing smirk with Kiba. "Very well then."

Shino caught the look that past between the blonde and his team mate. It was obvious that Kiba had told, and, the most shocking this was that Ino hadn't told just about everyone.

"Well…who is it?" Ino demanded, spinning to face Shino.

"I…would say…that it would have to be…" Shino paused, seeming to think deeply. He couldn't say who it was, and he knew straight away that it would have to be Hinata. But if he said it…he knew that he would only face rejection. Hinata was far too infatuated by Naruto to like him as more than a friend, a team mate. That was what he'd always be to her, that and nothing else. He couldn't say it, no matter what happened. He could not. No matter the consequences. "I choose dare," he said abruptly.

Ino raised an eyebrow as she observed him. "Go on then. To Hinata," she smirked, grabbing Shino's sleeve, and pulling him to the Hyuuga heiress, whilst pushing her cousin out of the way. "Now…kiss her," Ino demanded, pushing him onto her.

"H-hinata," Shino whispered, a stutter similar to Hinata's coming from him. "I'm sorry." He leant forward and kissed her, seeing her large eyes and tomato-red blush spreading.  
**~O~O~**

_A/N: Short._  
Read and review?


	5. Neji's Approval and Disapproval

_A/N: I updated! In what seems like forever at the moment, but what the hey :)_  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**~O~**  
Shino pulled away from Hinata, with a feeling that his ears were starting to burn red. He looked at Hinata, and noticed her bright red face. He stepped away and went near the wall, behind Kiba who flinched slightly, but didn't move.

Kiba was brave, he'd grant him that.

"Wow…" Tenten breathed, which was agreed by mostly everyone else.

"What is so _wow _about a dare?" Shino snapped, losing his cool for the first time. _Stupid Kiba. Stupid Ino. I will kill them both._

Neji jumped to Tenten's defence. "Most of the people here were under the impression that you were asexual. You seem to have cleared yourself from that."

Shino closed his eyes for a moment and then said in a calm voice: "I will personally castrate anybody who assumes that I am asexual from hereon after. I am perfectly heterosexual."

"_And _that you're a good kisser," Temari pointed out. "It looked better than most peck on the lips that you see around."

"Yeah. Plus, seriously? You have _got _to do that again, but longer. You…did look pretty good," Sakura admitted.

"Hinata? What was it like?" Ino asked, spinning to face the blushing girl. "Spill. Now."

"I-i…it w-w-was…li-like…a p-p-peck?" Hinata stuttered, blushing even further. She glanced at the faces of the girls crowding her, and tried to amend, sending Shino an apologetic look. "I-I m-m-mean-"

"Hinata, I _forbid _you to answer that question," Neji hissed, glaring at the girls, although his eyes visibly softened as he reached Tenten.

"I concur. May we pursue a different topic of conversation?" Shino asked, his fists clenched in his pockets. He was going to personally suffocate most of the people in this room by stuffing insects down their throats whilst they were sleeping. _Especially _Kiba and Ino.

"Well…Naruto, truth or dare?" Ino said, grinning at him.

"Dare, 'ttebayo!" Naruto grinned, as naïve as he usually was. The smirk crossing Ino's face proved disastrous for the hyperactive blonde.

*

Shino opened the door of the room he would have to share with Neji for the next week. He sighed. Sharing was not on his list of things that he wanted to do, and especially not sharing with Hyuuga Neji, who was horribly overprotective of his cousin, who Shino just happened to have a crush on.

Just as he was about to close the door, he saw a miserable Naruto with green hair trudging into the room next to him. He grimaced when he caught Shino looking at him. "I guess I shouldn't have taken that dare after all," he said with a shrug.

"Serves you right, Naruto," Shino said, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. He nodded at Neji, who was sitting on what was now his bed, arms folded and staring at him thoughtfully.

"Shino," Neji said, frowning slightly at the boy. "I wanted to speak to you. About…certain matters."

Shino frowned. The phrase _certain matters _didn't bode well, and he would not like to get on the Hyuuga's bad side. "Yes?"

"Hinata. That kiss today was nothing but a dare. I sincerely hope that you do not get any ideas from it. It was a dare and nothing more," Neji stated, staring at him as though to find any feelings from him. Finding feeling from a, say, rock would have been easier than finding any on the Aburame's impassive face.

"I am well aware of that," he said coldly. _There's no need to bloody rub it in, Hyuuga. _

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Very well. So long as you know that. But at least it's rather you than some others. You are to be the head of the clan when your father dies, I take it?"

"Yes. But what that has to do with the current topic is beyond me." _You know full well, Shino, _a voice inside him complained. _He's talking about marriage. If you were to marry Hinata, at least it would be better than someone else, say, Naruto. He doesn't have a clan. Or Lee. Or, no that's it. He's staring at you. He's just asked something. Listen, for crying out loud!_

"I hope you understand. Whilst you would be preferable to others, I'd rather she wait until she was older. Good day, and don't use too much of the hot water," Neji finished, and left the room.

"Well, that was quite an eye opener," a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kiba's came from the edge of the room. Shino spun around and stared at Kiba, who fell out of the cupboard, still grinning. "Well…it looks like you have a chance then. I mean, if _Neji _is approving you, then boy, you're all set to go. You have _got _to tell her!"

"Kiba…it's very disturbing that you have been hiding in the room. I believe Neji was changing his clothes?" Shino asked, determined to change the subject.

"Yeah, but whatever. It's not like I _looked _or nothing!" he protested.

"Double negative," Shino smiled. "Out, Kiba."

"But-" Kiba's protest ended there when a swarm of Shino's bugs sent him flying out of the room.  
**~O~O~**

_A/N: I love Kiba. He's so much fun when you put him in the underdog position :)  
Review?_


	6. Starting of a Bad Day

A/N: A pretty long chapter for me here. Heh.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**~O~**  
Shino woke up, and pushed the duvets off him. He lay in bed for a while, listening to the quiet and comforting buzz of the insects inside him. He instantly grabbed for his glasses, and shoved them onto his faces, glancing at the sleeping roommate in the bed opposite. Neji was facing upwards, eyes closed and hands clasped on his chest. Shino allowed himself a smile. He had stayed awake until Neji had fallen asleep before he dared take of his glasses. He was only sensitive to the light, but after such a big fuss was made out of his glasses and the true colour of his eyes, he kept them on all the time simply to keep them interested. It wouldn't do if he was forgotten.

He stood up, tiptoeing silently out of the door, and headed to the direction of the kitchen. He was hungry. Very hungry. And with the type of food that Aburame Shibi cooked, it was no wonder he usually took advantage of the picnics that Kiba and Hinata came up with every free day. It wasn't that he was hungry or greedy, but he hated cooking for both him and his father all the time.

He opened the kitchen door silently, and blinked. Hinata was standing with her back to him, cutting up what looked like an orange. Her hair was pushed back, messy yet unnaturally pretty as usual. She turned around and jumped back when she saw him. "H-hello, Shino-kun."

Shino nodded. "I'm sorry. Did I scare you, Hinata?"

She shook her head quickly. "N-no. I'm fine. I was j-just a bit st-startled, is all."

He nodded again. "So, why are you up so early? You're not usually."

"I couldn't go to sleep. I-Ino kept talking to me a-all l-last night, and we w-were up the wh-whole time. A-and then when sh-she did f-fall a-asleep, I-I couldn't. S-so…h-here I a-am," she smiled, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "W-would you like m-me to g-get you an-anything? I-I've made m-more than I c-can eat."

Shino nodded for a third time, and took a seat at the table. Whilst she was bustling around, he took a moment to look at his surroundings. The kitchen was quite spacious, with a large table, big enough to fit everybody that was here. The chairs were wooden and extremely comfortable. The walls were a plain cream, with the odd framed picture of a deer here and there. It was just what he expected from the Nara family.

"Thank you," he said quietly, when she pushed a plate of food in front of him. She smiled at him, but didn't say anything else. He realised that she was playing with her fingers and blushing lightly, obviously embarrassed, but he couldn't think why. "Hinata? What's the matter?"

"A-ano…nothing. I-I-I'm fine!" she stuttered, looking at him with wide eyes.

Shino frowned into the jug of water on the table. She was only ever this shy when Naruto was near by. She had long lost her usual stutter when she was around Shino and Kiba. _When Naruto was nearby…._

He shook the jealous feeling off him like a cloak, and concentrated on Hinata. A wild desperate look had come into her eyes, as though she was contemplating the best way to run out of the room. He frowned. This wasn't like her.

"U-um…S-s-shino-kun? I-Ino-chan s-s-s-s-said l-l-last n-n-night th-that…" her face had turned a glowing red, and a bead of sweat was rolling down the side of her face. It seemed that it was an actual physical and demanding task. She took a deep breath, and started again. "I-Ino s-said that…you…y-you…u-um-"

"Good morning, my fine folks! 'Tis another wonderful day! It's morning, the sun be shining, the bees be buzzing, the bugs be hiding, the Shino be eating, the birds be singing, and we're alive for another day! Life is amazingly wonderful, and we can live for another glorious day!" Kiba stood in the doorway, grinning, with Akamaru behind him, obiviously still half-asleep.

Shino raised an eyebrow. "Have you been reading again?"

Kiba grinned. "Yep, but that's not the thing. Hinata, you want to play with me and Akamaru after you've finished breakfast? Shino, can I have yours?"

Shino sighed, and pushed his breakfast to Kiba and stood up. "I'm going for a walk," he said, and left quickly. He wasn't in a good mood anymore. His day had started bad, and he was pretty sure that it would probably end badly as well.

He had wanted to speak to Hinata, to spend a while with her without getting interrupted…and now he was. He had expected them to talk about anything, as usual. Not her stuttering and giving him a foreboding sense of something bad to come. Something to do with Ino.

He sighed quietly. He was overdramatising things. It was best not to get things hyped up for no reason.

"OI! Shino! C'mon! We're playing cards! Hurry up, 'ttebayo!" yelled Naruto from the end of the corridor. Behind him were Shikamaru, Chouji and Neji, all with varying degrees of annoyance on their faces.

Shino went in the direction of Naruto. It would do no good for his ears to have Naruto begging him to join in.

Vaguely, he wondered what they would be doing for the rest of the day.

*

It was almost dusk, and the Konoha eleven and the Sand siblings were sitting in the living room of Shikamaru's cabin. Somehow, they had managed to split into gender groups, and were bored, staring around.

Shikamaru was slumped against the wall, attempting to sleep. Chouji was beside him, eating his customary barbecue chips. Kiba was petting Akamaru and muttering to him. Shino sat next to him, not doing anything much, but thinking deeply. Neji was sitting cross-legged, and besides him Lee, who was rambling on about something to a bored-looking Gaara. On Gaara's other side, Naruto was rambling about something else, seemingly Naruto and Lee were both unaware that two very loud people were attempting to talk to Gaara, who was attempting to drown it out. Kankuro was tinkering with a mini version of Karasu.

On the other side, the girls, although considerably smaller in number, were considerably much louder. Ino and Sakura were talking extremely loud and giggling about a boy they had met in Konoha, ignoring the occasional annoyed glances that were shot their way from Lee, Naruto and Shikamaru. Hinata was reading a book, and on her side were Tenten and Temari, arguing about the merits of different weapons.

Soon, all of the conversation died out. There was silence in the room for a few moments, until Ino turned to Hinata. "So, Hinata. How come you don't have a boyfriend yet, huh?"

Most of the people turned to glance at the victim, who was currently turning bright red. "I-I-I…u-um…"

"I know! Take the likeliest boy out of these lot," grinned Sakura, waving to the boys on the opposite side of the room. Most of which were staring at them as if they had grown an extra head, along with four new pairs of eyes, three arms and had declared their intention on getting married to Orochimaru and Jiraiaya. At the same time.

"Yeah! OK…let's start with these lot," Ino said, getting up and standing in front of Kankuro, who stared at her in shock. "OK…I think Kankuro's out."  
**~O~O~**

A/N: In the next chapter there will be slight bashing. Of Neji, Gaara, Naruto, Lee, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kankuro and...I think that's all the boys? Yes, ever so slight bashing :) And embarassing.


	7. You're not the one for Hinata

A/N: Thanks to all of you who reviewed again. This is a quick chapter before NaNoWriMo starts....in 4 hours. Oh, the horror!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. If I did, it wouldn't make sense.**

This chapter is dedicated to ShikaTem Sand-Leaf.

**~O~**  
Shikamaru was slumped against the wall, attempting to sleep. Chouji was beside him, eating his customary barbecue chips. Kiba was petting Akamaru and muttering to him. Shino sat next to him, not doing anything much, but thinking deeply. Neji was sitting cross-legged, and besides him Lee, who was rambling on about something to a bored-looking Gaara. On Gaara's other side, Naruto was rambling about something else, seemingly Naruto and Lee were both unaware that two very loud people were attempting to talk to Gaara, who was attempting to drown it out. Kankuro was tinkering with a mini version of Karasu.

On the other side, the girls, although considerably smaller in number, were considerably much louder. Ino and Sakura were talking extremely loud and giggling about a boy they had met in Konoha, ignoring the occasional annoyed glances that were shot their way from Lee, Naruto and Shikamaru. Hinata was reading a book, and on her side were Tenten and Temari, arguing about the merits of different weapons.

"He's older than her, he wears cat ears _all _the time," Ino started, scrutinising him closely.

"And the make-up. You can't forget that. He thinks that he's a girl, so definitely not," Sakura said, standing next to Ino and looking down upon Kankuro, who closed his eyes.

"And he's pretty…what's the word? Stocky," added Temari. "_Not _a good look. And anyway, we live in Suna. Long distance relationships do not work."

Kankuro snapped his eyes open. "I am not fat!" he hissed.

Temari smiled smugly, clearly knowing she was going to win. "I never said that. Only _girls _get riled up about that."

Kankuro glared at her, but didn't say anything. Temari had definitely won this round.

Ino smiled. "OK, next." She and Sakura moved up to Naruto and stared at him in slight disapproval. "He's too loud," Ino said instantly.

"And annoying," Sakura added.

"Blunt," put in Temari.

"Very conspicuous."

"Unfeeling."

"Next," Ino said, as they moved onto Gaara. They observed him for a while as he stared back at the two of them. "He lives in Suna."

"He's got a _tattoo_," Sakura said, shaking her head as though it meant the end of the world.

"Plus, he's a former homicidal maniac. And he's as feeling as Naruto is quiet," Ino added.

Gaara felt the longing for killing coming back to him. But there were too many witnesses….

"Lee….no. He likes Sakura. Plus, it's his best friend's cousin. That is _not _nice," Ino said, folding her arms. Lee looked as though he was about to object, until he caught the bad aura radiating from Neji. He knew that that meant he had better shut up or else, and wisely decided to stay silent.

"OK, then. Neji…"

There was a pause as they all stared at the Hyuuga prodigy and then to the Hyuuga heiress, who was bright red on the other side of the room.

"They're cousins…" Tenten said slowly.

"But…" Ino said as slowly. "It's allowed."

Temari, Ino and Sakura glanced at each other. "It is…" Temari said slowly. "And it would solve Neji being annoyed by the main branch. He'd be part of the main branch when they marry…and she doesn't have to worry about choosing a bad husband. And he'd _have _to protect her, no matter what."

"But they're cousins!" Tenten whined, obviously annoyed.

The other girls still looked at Neji as though he was the answer to all of their problems. "Yeah," Sakura muttered. "They wouldn't…."

Neji stared at them. They were considering marrying him off to his _cousin._ He knew that quite a few people had done that before, but the fact that it was _him _made it different. Besides, he already had his heart for somebody else.

Ino was the first to snap out of her phase, and moved on to Shino. "Well….I suppose that he is her team mate…."

Temari shrugged. "Maybe…but he's slightly creepy. And I'm not scared of bugs, but he still freaks me out."

Shino blinked behind his glasses. They thought he couldn't be with Hinata, simply because he was creepy_._ _Creepy. _Who were they to judge?

Tenten shook her head. "Yeah, but still. I mean, he's practically one of the two guys that actually know her well. So…maybe?"

_Thank you, Tenten, _Shino thought. _At least one of you isn't basing me off the fact that I'm creepy. At least _one _of the shinobi here aren't betraying me by staying silent. _He sent a quick glare at Kiba, who couldn't see but knew Shino well enough to know what he was thinking. He turned red, and became extremely interested in the growth of his left toenail. Akamaru became engrossed on how far he could stick his tongue out.

"That doesn't stop the fact that he's creepy," Temari insisted, crossing her arms defiantly, glaring at Tenten.

Tenten crossed her arms as well, and the two kunoichi sent metaphorical daggers at each other. Kiba glanced at the pair warily, knowing that he would be the next target of the Freaky Furious Feisty Four, as he had nicknamed the unholy forces of Ino, Sakura, Tenten and Temari. Hopefully, they would kill each other before they turned their attention to him. Or a hole appearing in the ground and swallowing them. or someone come jumping through the window and kidnapping them.

Anything dramatic.

Tenten twitched slightly. "How do you know what he's like, huh? He might be the nicest, funniest, sweetest, most romantic guy ever, and you're dismissing him just because he looks creepy? Look at Lee for example. He's considered as a weirdo by fools that don't know him. Yet he's one of the greatest ninja and people I know. The same goes for Gaara. He still terrifies me sometimes, but I still like him and don't see him as creepy! No offence meant, Gaara," she added offhandedly, glancing at him once then back at Temari.

Gaara shrugged once, but didn't say anything. If it bothered him, he didn't show it.

Kankuro nudged Naruto. "Wanna bet they fight?" he whispered?

Temari and Tenten continued glaring at each other. If his continued, there would be a full on fight in a few minutes.

Shino sighed and stood up. They were arguing about him, so he might as well do something about it.  
**~O~O~**

A/N: Not much of a cliffhanger, but ah well.  
Review please?


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